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Know Your Voting Rights
A Misdemeanant & Ex-Felon’s Guide to Voting in North Carolina
dress so that you can be listed in the proper voting district. If you use a P.O. Box as your residential address, the form will not be proc-essed. (However, a P.O. Box may be used as your mailing address.) The county board of elections must receive your completed form at least 25 days before the election if you wish to vote in that elec-tion. Otherwise, you can register and vote at any One-Stop Absentee Voting site in your county during the One-Stop Absentee Voting period. Voter registration is permanent and you do not need to register for each election. The county board of elections will send a voter registration card to the address you listed on the form, with the name of your precinct and where you can go to vote (your “polling place”).
STEP 2: VOTE You can vote at the polling place listed on your voter card, at One-Stop Absentee Vot-ing sites, or by absentee ballot. For directions on how to vote by absentee ballot or at a One-Stop Absentee Voting Site, see Step 1 on the inside of the brochure.
NORTH CAROLINA STATE BOARD OF ELECTIONS
For additional information on voter registration, absentee ballots, or locating your county board of elections, contact:
NC State Board of Elections
P.O. Box 27255
Raleigh, NC 27611-7255
Telephone: (919) 733-7173
Toll free: 1-866-522-4723
Website: www.ncsbe.gov
North Carolina State Board of Elections
506 North Harrington Street
Raleigh, NC 27603
Phone: 919-733-7173
Toll free/Línea gratuita: 1-866-522-4723
Para español marque: 919-715-9206
Fax: 919-715-0135
Visit our website: www.ncsbe.gov
July 2010
Remember, if you move within the county, you must notify your county board of elections of the move. If you move out of the county or state, you must, re-register to vote in the new county or state. You may also use the same form to cancel your registration in your previ-ous county or state.
If you have ever been a misdemeanant or felon and you are not sure of your voting rights or have received conflicting information from government officials about your voting rights, please contact the ACLU of North Carolina.
Voting Rights Project
American Civil Liberties Union of
North Carolina
P.O. Box 28004
Raleigh, NC 27611-8004
(919) 834-3466
aclunc@nc.rr.com
Website: www.acluofnorthcarolina.org In North Carolina, being convicted of a misde-meanor does not mean that you lose your right to vote. You can vote while serving your misde-meanor sentence or while awaiting trial for a felony or misdemeanor. Follow the steps below so that you can vote in the next election.
STEP 1: REGISTER TO VOTE If you are not already registered to vote, you can register to vote by using a mail-in voter registration form. You can get a form from your county board of elections office, public library, or online at: www.ncsbe.gov. On the form, in the “Residential Address” section, provide the address of the place where you would live if you were not in jail. This address is the place where you intend to return after imprisonment. The completed form must include your physical street address so that you can be listed in the proper voting district. If you write a P.O. Box as your residential address, the form will not be processed. However, a P.O. Box may be used as your mailing address. Mail the completed form to the county board of elections in the county “where you live”. If you do not have a driver’s license, you will be asked to include part of your Social Security number. You may find your county board of elections by contacting the State Board of Elections. Contact information is on the back of this brochure. The county board of elections must receive your completed form at least 25 days before the election in which you wish to vote. You can also register and vote at any One-Stop Absentee Voting site in your county during the One-Stop Absentee Voting period. Voter registration is permanent and you do not need to register for each election. The county board of elections will send a voter registration card to the address you listed on the form, with the name of your precinct and where you can go to vote (your “polling place”).
STEPS FOR MISDEMEANANTS AND PERSONS AWAITING TRIAL As a qualified citizen, you may also register and vote in-person at one of your county’s One-Stop voting sites. One-Stop Absentee Voting is conducted from 19 days before an election up to 3 days before an election. Some counties offer multiple One-Stop Ab-sentee Voting sites. Check with your local county board of elections for your One-Stop voting options and locations. Proper identifi-cation is required.
STEP 2: VOTE If you are able, you can vote in person at your polling place on Election Day or at any One-Stop Absentee Voting site in your county. If you are going to be incarcerated on Election Day, you can vote by mail using an absentee ballot. To request an absentee ballot, you may send a signed written request to your county board of elections. Absentee ballots are available 60 days before a general election and 50 days prior to most other elections, up until 5:00 p.m. on the Tuesday a week before an elec-tion. You can register to vote and request an absentee ballot at the same time. Be sure that your voter registration application is mailed early enough to meet the registration deadline (no later than 25 days before an election). If the county board of elections determines that you are eligible to vote, they will mail you your balloting materials (Absentee Application & Certificate and ballot.) You may be asked to send the county board a document showing your name and address. You may request that the ballot be mailed to any address including the jail where you are incarcerated. The ballot can also be mailed to a friend or relative and that person can bring the ballot to you. However, only you may vote the ballot. Please follow the instructions on the absentee ballot. For example, the ab-sentee ballot must be witnessed by an individ-ual who is at least 18 years old; if not, the ballot will not be counted.
STEPS FOR FORMER FELONS
If you are convicted of a felony in North Carolina, you temporarily lose your citizenship rights, including your right to vote. Any prior registra-tion you had before your felony conviction is cancelled by the county board of elections with no action on your part. Any attempt to register to vote while you are an active felon is a felony. However, after completing all the terms of your sentence (including parole, probation, and post-release supervision), you do not have to do anything to have your citizenship rights restored. Those rights are automatically restored (N.C. Gen. Stat. § 13-1). Registering to vote, again or for the first time, is all you will need to do before voting in the county where you reside after your discharge.
If you have completed all parts of your sentence for a felony conviction or have been pardoned, you are eligible to vote in North Carolina. To avoid potential difficulties with registering and voting, you should ask for your Certificate of Restoration of Forfeited Rights of Citizenship from your releasing officer (N.C. Gen. Stat. § 13-2). This is not necessary to register or vote, but may make it easier should you encounter any problems.
In order to vote in North Carolina elections, follow the steps listed below.
STEP 1: REGISTER TO VOTE Former convicted felons must register again to vote in their current county of residence. You can register by mail using a mail-in voter registration form. You can receive this form by writing or calling your county board of elections office, visiting a public library, or online at www.ncsbe.gov.
Mail the completed form to the county board of elections in the county “where you live”. If you do not have a driver’s license, you will be asked to include part of your Social Security number. You may find your county board of elections by contacting the State Board of Elections. Contact information is on the back of this brochure. The completed form must include your physical street ad-

Know Your Voting Rights
A Misdemeanant & Ex-Felon’s Guide to Voting in North Carolina
dress so that you can be listed in the proper voting district. If you use a P.O. Box as your residential address, the form will not be proc-essed. (However, a P.O. Box may be used as your mailing address.) The county board of elections must receive your completed form at least 25 days before the election if you wish to vote in that elec-tion. Otherwise, you can register and vote at any One-Stop Absentee Voting site in your county during the One-Stop Absentee Voting period. Voter registration is permanent and you do not need to register for each election. The county board of elections will send a voter registration card to the address you listed on the form, with the name of your precinct and where you can go to vote (your “polling place”).
STEP 2: VOTE You can vote at the polling place listed on your voter card, at One-Stop Absentee Vot-ing sites, or by absentee ballot. For directions on how to vote by absentee ballot or at a One-Stop Absentee Voting Site, see Step 1 on the inside of the brochure.
NORTH CAROLINA STATE BOARD OF ELECTIONS
For additional information on voter registration, absentee ballots, or locating your county board of elections, contact:
NC State Board of Elections
P.O. Box 27255
Raleigh, NC 27611-7255
Telephone: (919) 733-7173
Toll free: 1-866-522-4723
Website: www.ncsbe.gov
North Carolina State Board of Elections
506 North Harrington Street
Raleigh, NC 27603
Phone: 919-733-7173
Toll free/Línea gratuita: 1-866-522-4723
Para español marque: 919-715-9206
Fax: 919-715-0135
Visit our website: www.ncsbe.gov
July 2010
Remember, if you move within the county, you must notify your county board of elections of the move. If you move out of the county or state, you must, re-register to vote in the new county or state. You may also use the same form to cancel your registration in your previ-ous county or state.
If you have ever been a misdemeanant or felon and you are not sure of your voting rights or have received conflicting information from government officials about your voting rights, please contact the ACLU of North Carolina.
Voting Rights Project
American Civil Liberties Union of
North Carolina
P.O. Box 28004
Raleigh, NC 27611-8004
(919) 834-3466
aclunc@nc.rr.com
Website: www.acluofnorthcarolina.org In North Carolina, being convicted of a misde-meanor does not mean that you lose your right to vote. You can vote while serving your misde-meanor sentence or while awaiting trial for a felony or misdemeanor. Follow the steps below so that you can vote in the next election.
STEP 1: REGISTER TO VOTE If you are not already registered to vote, you can register to vote by using a mail-in voter registration form. You can get a form from your county board of elections office, public library, or online at: www.ncsbe.gov. On the form, in the “Residential Address” section, provide the address of the place where you would live if you were not in jail. This address is the place where you intend to return after imprisonment. The completed form must include your physical street address so that you can be listed in the proper voting district. If you write a P.O. Box as your residential address, the form will not be processed. However, a P.O. Box may be used as your mailing address. Mail the completed form to the county board of elections in the county “where you live”. If you do not have a driver’s license, you will be asked to include part of your Social Security number. You may find your county board of elections by contacting the State Board of Elections. Contact information is on the back of this brochure. The county board of elections must receive your completed form at least 25 days before the election in which you wish to vote. You can also register and vote at any One-Stop Absentee Voting site in your county during the One-Stop Absentee Voting period. Voter registration is permanent and you do not need to register for each election. The county board of elections will send a voter registration card to the address you listed on the form, with the name of your precinct and where you can go to vote (your “polling place”).
STEPS FOR MISDEMEANANTS AND PERSONS AWAITING TRIAL As a qualified citizen, you may also register and vote in-person at one of your county’s One-Stop voting sites. One-Stop Absentee Voting is conducted from 19 days before an election up to 3 days before an election. Some counties offer multiple One-Stop Ab-sentee Voting sites. Check with your local county board of elections for your One-Stop voting options and locations. Proper identifi-cation is required.
STEP 2: VOTE If you are able, you can vote in person at your polling place on Election Day or at any One-Stop Absentee Voting site in your county. If you are going to be incarcerated on Election Day, you can vote by mail using an absentee ballot. To request an absentee ballot, you may send a signed written request to your county board of elections. Absentee ballots are available 60 days before a general election and 50 days prior to most other elections, up until 5:00 p.m. on the Tuesday a week before an elec-tion. You can register to vote and request an absentee ballot at the same time. Be sure that your voter registration application is mailed early enough to meet the registration deadline (no later than 25 days before an election). If the county board of elections determines that you are eligible to vote, they will mail you your balloting materials (Absentee Application & Certificate and ballot.) You may be asked to send the county board a document showing your name and address. You may request that the ballot be mailed to any address including the jail where you are incarcerated. The ballot can also be mailed to a friend or relative and that person can bring the ballot to you. However, only you may vote the ballot. Please follow the instructions on the absentee ballot. For example, the ab-sentee ballot must be witnessed by an individ-ual who is at least 18 years old; if not, the ballot will not be counted.
STEPS FOR FORMER FELONS
If you are convicted of a felony in North Carolina, you temporarily lose your citizenship rights, including your right to vote. Any prior registra-tion you had before your felony conviction is cancelled by the county board of elections with no action on your part. Any attempt to register to vote while you are an active felon is a felony. However, after completing all the terms of your sentence (including parole, probation, and post-release supervision), you do not have to do anything to have your citizenship rights restored. Those rights are automatically restored (N.C. Gen. Stat. § 13-1). Registering to vote, again or for the first time, is all you will need to do before voting in the county where you reside after your discharge.
If you have completed all parts of your sentence for a felony conviction or have been pardoned, you are eligible to vote in North Carolina. To avoid potential difficulties with registering and voting, you should ask for your Certificate of Restoration of Forfeited Rights of Citizenship from your releasing officer (N.C. Gen. Stat. § 13-2). This is not necessary to register or vote, but may make it easier should you encounter any problems.
In order to vote in North Carolina elections, follow the steps listed below.
STEP 1: REGISTER TO VOTE Former convicted felons must register again to vote in their current county of residence. You can register by mail using a mail-in voter registration form. You can receive this form by writing or calling your county board of elections office, visiting a public library, or online at www.ncsbe.gov.
Mail the completed form to the county board of elections in the county “where you live”. If you do not have a driver’s license, you will be asked to include part of your Social Security number. You may find your county board of elections by contacting the State Board of Elections. Contact information is on the back of this brochure. The completed form must include your physical street ad-